OPTICAL INTERNETWORKING FORUM COMPLETES UNI 1.0 SIGNALING SPECIFICATION
The Optical Internetworking Forum approved the User Network Interface (UNI) 1.01 specification, a fundamental mechanism for setting-up and tearing-down on-demand connections across an optical network.  More specifically, UNI 1.0 defines the signaling protocols implemented by client and transport network equipment from different vendors to invoke services, the mechanisms used to transport signaling messages and the auto-discovery procedures that aid signaling.  The Optical Internetworking Forum said UNI 1.0 marks a significant step for the industry towards the implementation of an open transport network layer.  As a next step, the OIF is initiating efforts to develop signaling specifications for a network-to-network interface (NNI).  http://www.oiforum.com/
OIF, October 24, 2001

STORM LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL MPLS-ETHERNET NETWORK WITH RIVERSTONE ROUTERS
Storm Telecommunications has deployed an international Ethernet network for delivering MPLS-based services between metropolitan area networks throughout London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and New York City.  Storm will launch its Ethernet services this fall using Riverstone Networks' RS 8600 multi-service routers and RS 3000 metro access routers with MPLS capabilities.  Telindus will provide installation and support services for the deployment.  Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.riverstonenetworks.com/news/press/20011024.shtml  http://www.stormtel.com/ 
Riverstone Networks, October 24, 2001

• Last month, Storm announced Gigabit Ethernet services available through its metropolitan rings in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Frankfurt.  The corporate networking service is positioned as an alternative to Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) networks.
• In June, Storm Telecommunications introduced its unmetered, “Lightning” optical access service over its new European backbone.  The service promises flexible, scalable access over an optical mesh of 16 routes linking London, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm.  Pricing is based on flat-rate bandwidth increments, rather than distance or usage.
• Storm Telecommunications has previously announced a long-term, US$100 million dark fiber lease with Telia, giving it access to substantial fiber across Scandinavia and the rest of Europe, and a US$13 million lease of fiber-optic infrastructure from Metromedia Fiber Network in key European cities.

ONI SYSTEMS PLANS OC-192 SONET/SDH ADM CARD FOR ITS DWDM PLATFORMS
ONI Systems announced plans for an OC-192 SONET/SDH Add/Drop Multiplexer (ADM) card for its ONWAVE family of multiplexers.  The 10 Gbps card features integrated STS-1 switching and grooming capabilities, full overhead transparency and optional DWDM or standard 1310 nm optics.  The card would enable a service provider to provision multiple OC-3/12/48 circuits, ESCON, Fibre Channel, FICON and Gigabit Ethernet onto one "multi-service" wavelength.  The new OC-192 ADM will support SONET/SDH standard automatic protection switching, performance monitoring, local switching, grooming and hair-pinning with a 40 Gbps integrated STS-1 switch, and will have a built-in integrated Stratum 3 level synchronization functionality.  Commercial availability is expected in the first half of 2002.  http://www.oni.com
ONI Systems, October 24, 2001

OPTISPHERE BOOSTS CAPACITY AND REACH OF ITS DWDM TRANSPORT
Optisphere Networks, a division of Siemens Information and Communication Networks, introduced a new optical channel unit (OCU) and a high-density, high-performance OCR 10 (optical channel regenerator) transponder for boosting network capacity and improving service-provisioning capabilities across DWDM networks.  The OCU is an integrated shelf that houses the transponders and regenerators that comprise key elements of Optisphere's long-haul DWDM system.   It provides 2.5 Gbps, 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps multiplexing capabilities and 3R regeneration on a single shelf.  The OCR 10 provides out-of-band forward error correction to double the span length a signal can be sent before it needs amplification or regeneration.  This could result in cost savings by reducing the need for 3R (reshape, retime, regenerate) regeneration sites.  http://www.optisphere.com/
Optisphere Networks, October 24, 2001

ADC INTRODUCES PROVISIONING SOFTWARE SUPPORTING DOCSIS 1.1, MULTIPLE ISPS
ADC introduced new FastFlow Broadband Provisioning Manager software supporting DOCSIS/ EuroDOCSIS 1.0/1.1 and PacketCable/ EuroPacketCable network standards.  Key capabilities of the new software include the ability for cable operators to support multiple ISP selection (Open Access), tiered service classes and primary line IP telephony.  The platform should work with any standards compliant CMTS equipment.  Operators can run FastFlow BPM on standalone servers or, as an option, run the software co-resident on ADC's Cuda 12000 CMTS.  ADC said cable operators in the US and Germany are already deploying its FastFlow Broadband Provisioning Manager.  http://www.adc.com/News_Room/Breaking_News/index.jsp 
ADC, October 24, 2001

INTERAP ACTIVATES TELSEON'S GIGABIT ETHERNET SERVICE
Internap Network Services will use Telseon's Gigabit Ethernet metro networks to virtually extend its intelligent routing service into 50 data centers and carrier hotels.  Internap gains access to Telseon on-net locations in eight major markets with fast GigE interconnectivity between locations within those markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Northern Virginia, San Francisco and Seattle.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.telseon.com 
Telseon, October 24, 2001

AT&T WIRELESS TO TERMINATE ITS FIXED WIRELESS SERVICE
AT&T Wireless has decided to exit the fixed wireless business over the next several months.  The company said fixed wireless technology works for providing last mile voice and broadband connections.  However, its fixed wireless business unit did not meet its financial targets for Q3 and the company determined that significant additional capital would be required to gain the scale necessary for long-term success.  http://www.att.com/press/item/0,1354,4043,00.html 
AT&T Wireless, October 23, 2001

NORTEL NETWORKS AND IBM ENTER VOIP CONTACT CENTER ALLIANCE
Nortel Networks and IBM expanded an existing VoIP alliance to include the integration of IBM’s WebSphere e-business infrastructure software and DB2 database software into Nortel Networks Symposium Contact Center.  The companies have previously collaborated on desktop video conferencing; desktop message management for phones, faxes and e-mail; and plug-and-play software phones as portable as laptop computers. http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/2001d/10_24_01_ibm.html 
Nortel Networks, October 24, 2001

CHORUM RAISES $54.7 MILLION FOR ITS ALL-OPTICAL PROCESSORS
Chorum Technologies, a start-up based in Richardson, Texas, announced $54.7 million in new venture funding for continued development of its all-optical processors and subsystems.  Chorum said that since the start of the year it has quadrupled its customer base.  It currently has 20 shipping products.  New and existing investors include CenterPoint Ventures, InterWest Partners, Sevin Rosen Funds, Scudder-Kemper Investments, Star Ventures, Wheatley Partners, Austin Ventures, Rho Management Trust, Crown Advisors International, Azure Capital Partners, Sycamore Ventures, Bowman Capital Management and J. & W. Seligman Co.  http://www.chorumtech.com/
Chorum Technologies, October 24, 2001

• Earlier this year, Chorum introduced a liquid-crystal based Optical Harmonic Equalizer (OHE) that dynamically adjusts the gain profile of an optical amplifier to ensure that the power levels of DWDM optical signals are equalized without requiring a conversion from optical-to-electrical-to-optical.  In addition, Chorum has announced three optical devices based on liquid-crystal technologies: a non-mechanical, all-optical, Fast Add/Drop switch; an optical switch designed for optical restoration, protection, test, and provisioning applications; and a voltage-controlled solid-state optical variable attenuator for broadband or single-channel applications.  The company is also developing "Optical Slicers", which are ultra dense optical interleave filters for use in either long haul or metro networks.  Chorum’s DWDM router components, which will use the Optical Slicers, are being designed for passive optical multiplexing and demultiplexing systems that support hundreds of channels at data rates of 10 Gbps and higher. 
• Scott Grout, Chorum's CEO, previously served as vice president of Lucent's optical networking group.
• Chorum filed for an Initial Public Offering in November, 2000, and withdrew its filing in March, 2001.

FUJITSU REPORTS HIGHER 3G SALES OFFSET BY LOWER OPTICAL TRANSPORT REVENUE
Fujitsu Ltd. reported consolidated first-half telecommunications sales of 315.2 billion yen (US$2.6 billion), a decrease of 7% from the same period in last year.  The company said higher sales of switching systems and base station systems for IMT-2000, the next-generation mobile communications system in Japan, were offset by lower sales of optical transport systems, reflecting the impact of further cutbacks in investment by telecommunications carriers, particularly those based in North America.  http://pr.fujitsu.com/en/news/2001/10/24.html 
Fujitsu, October 24, 2001

2WIRE RAISES $61 MILLION FOR ITS HOME GATEWAYS
2Wire, a start-up based in San Jose, raised $61 million in new funding for its line of residential gateways.  The company has raised a total of $144 million in equity investments since its founding in July 1998.  Investors include Technology Crossover Ventures, Oak Investment Partners, Pilgrim Baxter & Associates, Shell Internet Ventures, Accel Partners, DCM (Doll Capital Management), the INVESCO Private Capital Group, Meritech Capital, and Venrock Associates.  http://www.2wire.com 
2Wire, October 24, 2001

• Earlier this month, Verizon Online began offering 2Wire’s HomePortal 100 gateway to residential customers wishing to share their DSL connection on a home network.
• In June, SBC Communications began marketing 2Wire home networking products to existing and new residential and small business DSL subscribers in its Pacific Bell region.  The 2Wire HomePortal gateways use existing phone wires or wireless connections to create local area networks, allowing customers to share a single DSL Internet connection and connect PCs, printers and other devices.  The wired version is based on the 10Mbps Home Phone Networking Alliance (HomePNA) standard, which connects devices through existing phone jacks.  The wireless version is based on the 11Mbps Wi-Fi/802.11b standard.  2Wire has also established a key resale relationship with Earthlink.
• 2Wire is headed by Paul Hinman, who is also co-founder and formerly CEO of Polycom, as well as the co-founder of PictureTel.

CISCO SYSTEMS CUTS PLANS TO EXPAND INTO SAN JOSE’S COYOTE VALLEY
Cisco Systems has changed its plans to develop a new corporate headquarters in San Jose’s rural Coyote Valley.  The company had originally envisioned a huge campus for up to 20,000 employees, but now may develop, over time, a smaller facility accommodating 3,000 to 9,000 employees.  Meanwhile, Cisco has scaled back other office projects in other parts of the Bay Area, as well as facilities near Boston, Richardson (Texas), and in the UK and Australia.  http://www.cisco.com
Cisco Systems, October 24, 2001

• In April, Cisco Systems announced layoffs of approximately 8,500 employees.

Daily Journal For Broadband Networking
Copyright 2001 Converge! Media Ventures Inc.
All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1084-2438
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